


All We Do Is Play It Safe

by justyrae



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Kid Fic, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 04:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8313427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justyrae/pseuds/justyrae
Summary: "Dunno why you followed in my footsteps, Payno.""Couldn't let you do it alone, could I?"





	

**Author's Note:**

> writer's block is a bitch. but then i saw [this](http://ihavea1dbloghelp.tumblr.com/post/151262579470/im-just-dont-yell-at-me-im-not-saying-shes) and lilo helped me through.
> 
> title from "All We Do" by Oh Wonder

Louis remembers always hating the first day of school. Granted enough years have passed since his last first day of school that he has to actually stop and properly think about it, but the fact remains the same. He has no idea where Freddie got his love of school from.

He supposes it's better this way, he wants Freddie to finish school and go to university and be the best he can be. Louis is relieved, if he's being honest, that Freddie loves school and is so fucking smart, because it means he'll never be told the things Louis heard while he was at school.

All Louis ever hears from Freddie's teachers is how bright his future is, as if Louis didn't know that from the moment Freddie was born.

Louis chuckles under his breath and thinks of his mum, wondering when he turned into her with his fleeting thoughts of "where did the time go?" He's been thinking it more often than not lately, blaming it on the fact that Freddie's about to start high school.

He's a freshman this year, although the term still doesn't make sense to Louis. He's tried explaining the British school system to Freddie but all he gets in return is a blank look. Louis can't help but wonder how many times he gave his mum the same look.

The sound of the sliding glass door startles Louis enough that a bit of his tea splashes out of his mug and onto the counter, but it serves Louis right for getting distracted and lost in his own thoughts on such an important day. He wipes up the mess with the sleeve of his shirt and turns around to smile widely at Liam and Ella as they come inside, Ella already with her backpack on but missing her usual toothy grin.

"Good morning Miss Ella," Louis greets as he pulls her against him for a hug. "Excited for your first day as an 8th grader?"

"Yeah," she answers miserably.

Louis looks to Liam who answers his confusion with a shrug, offering no help as to why his daughter's in such a lousy mood. Louis frowns and nudges her with his hip as he tries to think of something that will cheer her up.

"I see you managed to talk your dad into another new backpack," he says as he gently turns her around so he can admire it.

"Twisted my arm, she did." Liam smiles fondly but Ella just sighs.

"Yeah," she repeats in the same forlorn voice. "It's alright."

"Just alright? Why, last week you said that you just had to have it because it was the best backpack in the entire world!" Liam huffs in an exaggerated manner. "Now it's just alright?"

Ella shrugs and turns back around to face Louis. "Where's Freddie?"

"Upstairs, love." Louis offers her another smile. "Do us a favor and get him?"

Ella nods as heads out of the kitchen, and Louis waits until he hears her climbing the stairs before he speaks again.

"Did you forget her favorite ice cream again?" Louis teases lightly.

"That happened _once_ when she was _six_ ," Liam grumbles, knocking his shoulder against Louis as he passes by to help himself to a cup of tea. "She's been upset since she got home last night but won't tell me why."

Louis turns, another quip ready on the tip of his tongue but he stops when he sees the distressed look on Liam's face. He's seen the look before, more than a hundred times, but in this moment it reminds him of a night so long ago that it makes Louis' heart ache just to think about. He doesn't remember what city they were in, barely remembers what tour they were in the middle of, but he remembers that look. And suddenly, he can't bear to look at Liam.

"M'sure she's just nervous about school," Louis says as he turns back to his own mug and picks it up so his hands are occupied. He sets it down a moment later when he notices his hands are shaking, but he keeps them wrapped around it to keep himself from doing something stupid.

Louis has long since lost count of how many times he's had to keep himself from doing something stupid around Liam over the years. He would've thought that by now he'd stop feeling like he did in his twenties, or at the very least that he knows how to control his feelings. Sometimes he wonders if all adults feel like this or if there's just something wrong with him.

He sees Liam shift out of the corner of his eye, crossing the floor to lean against the counter next to Louis with his own mug of tea clasped in his hands. Liam tips to one side until his head connects with Louis' shoulder and he grunts softly as he stays there. Louis rolls his eyes but doesn't push Liam away.

"It'll all turn out okay, y'know."

"Yeah," Liam replies, sounding so much like Ella that Louis rolls his eyes again. Now he knows where she gets it from. "Who knew being a parent was so hard?"

"You're telling me." Louis laughs. "Dunno why you followed in my footsteps, Payno."

"Couldn't let you do it alone, could I?"

Louis bites his lip and nudges Liam's head with his shoulder. "Nah, s'pose not."

*

It's a bit of a relief when the house is empty again after Liam leaves to drop Freddie and Ella off at their respective schools. Freddie appeared to be the only one actually excited about the prospect of the new school year while Ella maintained her frown and in turn caused Liam's. Louis wasn't sure he'd be able to take the matching sad looks on their faces for much longer and was thankful that they only had a few minutes to spare by the time Freddie and Ella appeared downstairs again.

Louis relocates to his home office shortly after they leave, already having intended to work from home today so he'd be sure to be home when Freddie's done with school. He manages to answer a few emails and set up some meetings for later in the week before his wandering mind gets the better of him and he ends up dialing his mum.

"I was wondering when you'd call," Jay says with a fond laugh when the line connects.

"Isn't a proper first day without talking to you," Louis replies with an easy smile.

"How was he this morning?"

Louis lets out a breath. "Much better than Ella, I can tell you that."

"You're lucky. I had to pry you from my legs nearly every day in primary, do you remember?"

"No," Louis laughs, "I've told you I don't remember that but you keep bringing it up."

"Well, you did. You should be thanking your stars that Freddie likes school."

"I am, believe me." Louis pauses for a moment. "I'm a bit worried about Liam, if I'm honest."

"Oh, Lou. Ella's probably just upset about summer being over, that's all. You know how kids are."

"Yeah, but…" Louis trails off and sighs. He doesn't know why it's bothering him so much but he can't get the image of Liam's frown out of his head.

"Was Liam upset too?"

"Course he was. You know Liam."

"I do. I also know you, and I know you hate seeing Liam upset."

"He's my best mate," Louis protests. "Of course I hate seeing him upset."

Jay hums and Louis frowns at the sound. He doesn't like her tone, even in a hum. He's heard that hum enough times in his life to know that his mum knows more than she's letting on and it drives him up the wall.

"Mum," he says flatly.

"I didn't say anything!"

"You hummed."

"Oh, shut up. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Yeah, well, you've always been a loud thinker." He chuckles. "Can hear you all the way across the ocean, I can."

"Louis," she says, her tone gentle but firm. It makes Louis feel like he's a kid all over again, being scolded for whatever he's done wrong this time. "Do you remember what I said when you told me Liam was moving in next door?"

"Yeah, Mum, I do." Louis sighs heavily. "You don't need to say it again."

"I know you're doing what you think is best, but--"

"Mum, please," Louis begs. "I'm a grown man, I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, but you're still my baby and I worry."

"I'm fine," Louis insists. "I promise."

Jay stays silent for a moment. "You would tell me if you weren't, right?"

"You'd be the first to know, whether I wanted you to or not," Louis jokes. "You'd be on the first plane to LA without me even having to ask."

"Damn right I would." Jay sighs. "Miss you, Lou."

"I miss you too. Me and Fred will see you and the rest for Christmas, though. That'll be here in no time."

"Liam and Ella are welcome as well, although I know for a fact Karen would have my head if Liam came 'round and didn't see her."

Louis laughs. "He'd never. Proper mummy's boy, he is."

Jay laughs in return but Louis doesn't hear her reply, distracted by a door closing downstairs and a voice calling his name. He takes the phone away from his ear and listens for it again, recognizing it as Liam on the second try.

"In my office, Li!" he yells before putting his phone back up to his ear. "Mum? I've got to go, Liam's just turned up again."

"Alright, I'll let you go. Give Freddie my love, will you?"

"Absolutely. Love you, Mum."

Louis hangs up after she replies the same, just in time for Liam to come through the door. He looks frazzled and is panting a little like he's out of breath, which makes Louis wonder if he ran up the stairs.

"What's going on?" he asks suspiciously as Liam collapses on the couch across from Louis' desk and covers his face with his hands. It takes a moment for Liam to collect himself and remove his hands, taking a deep breath before he speaks.

"Ella burst into tears right after I dropped Freddie off." Liam runs his hands through his hair and lets out a nervous laugh. "God, I've _never_ seen her cry like that. Not even when she broke her arm falling out of that tree."

Louis winces as he always does whenever that's brought up. He still feels responsible for that, having taken his eyes off of Ella for _one second_ while she was up in the tree and the next thing he knew she was on the ground.

"Did she say why she was crying?"

"Took a while for her to calm down, I had to pull the car over so I could comfort her." Liam shakes his head. "She thinks Freddie's gonna make a bunch of friends at his new school and forget all about her."

Louis snorts. "She can't be serious."

"Don't be an ass, Lou!" Liam snaps. "My kid's upset and it's your kid's fault!"

"Hey, I--"

"And he didn't help! Going on and on about his new school and all the classes he's gonna take, meanwhile poor Ella's heart is breaking because she's terrified of losing her best friend!"

Liam covers his mouth to stifle a sob and Louis all but leaps out of his chair to rush to his side, wrapping his arm around Liam's shoulder as Liam tries to pull himself together.

"Li, that's crazy. Freddie isn't gonna forget about her."

"What if he does?" Liam sniffles. "I know what it's like to be the kid with no friends, I don't--"

"Liam," Louis says, using the same tone his own mum used on him not ten minutes earlier, "Ella has other friends, she won't be all alone."

"But--"

"You're being paranoid, Payno." Louis pats his shoulder and pulls him into a hug. "No kid of mine is gonna forget yours."

"Old habits die hard," Liam mutters softly.

Louis' breath catches slightly and he closes his eyes, unsure of whether Liam actually meant for him to hear that. It's part of a bigger conversation they've had time and again over the years and every time it comes up Louis' heart suffers a little more.

He remembers how awful he was to Liam in the beginning, after they all first met on X-Factor. He doesn't need reminding of it because it's as clear in his mind as though it were only yesterday, which does nothing to dissuade his guilt even after all these years. Even at the height of their popularity with One Direction Liam would go through these bouts of depression where he was genuinely convinced the rest of the world hated him.

Once, Louis tried to get Liam to snap out of it by saying he was being paranoid and nobody hated him.

"You did," Liam replied.

The vivid memory of Liam's red eyes and tear-stained cheeks hasn't left Louis' mind since, choosing to pop up at the most inconvenient of times.

"Everything's gonna be okay," Louis murmurs. "Promise."

He's not sure who he's trying to convince more: Liam or himself.

*

Louis is sitting in the living room with a book when Freddie comes home. He's been reading the same page for longer than he'd like to admit because he's been distracted, thinking about Liam. It's been hours since Liam was crying on his office couch, saying he had to go into the studio that afternoon, but Louis can't seem to get it out of his head.

"You never read," Freddie says as he plops down on the sofa next to Louis and props his feet up on the table.

"I do too," Louis retorts in an offended tone. He gives Freddie's knee a light slap and points at his feet. "Shoes off, you know better."

Freddie huffs but removes his feet from the table so he can kick off his shoes, grumbling under his breath when he props his feet back up. Louis grins as he sets his book aside and hooks his arm around Freddie's shoulder and pulls him into a hug.

"How was the first day, lad?"

"Boring," Freddie says with a short sigh, "but good, y'know. Normal."

"Did you, um," Louis clears his throat, "make any new friends?"

Freddie shrugs the shoulder not currently nestled under Louis' arm and makes a noncommittal sort of noise under his breath. "A bunch of kids from the middle school were there, which was good."

"And Liam was on time to pick you up, yeah?"

"Of course," Freddie says as he rolls his eyes. "Uncle Liam's never late, you know that."

"I do know that. Never lets me forget it, does he?" Louis grins. "How about Ella, then? Did she have a good day?"

"Seemed to, I dunno." Freddie shrugs again. "She had her headphones in when I got in the car."

Louis frowns. That doesn't sound like Ella, and he certainly can't imagine Liam being okay with that sort of thing. A good twenty years may have passed since he'd been dubbed "Daddy Direction" but he never lost his need to urge others to follow his polite ways.

"It was weird," Freddie goes on before Louis has got a hold of his own thoughts. "She barely even looked at me and Uncle Liam kept frowning." Freddie looks up at Louis. "You know the one," he says as he sticks out his bottom lip in a pout.

Louis laughs. "I definitely know that one. Seen it plenty of times, I have."

"Do you think Ella's mad at me?" Freddie asks in a low voice. "She seemed weird this morning but I thought she was just nervous about school."

"Well, lad, um…" Louis takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Liam did come by after dropping you two off and he told me Ella was a bit upset."

"About what?"

"Seems that she, um," Louis pauses and lets out a nervous breath, "she thinks that you're going to forget about her, now that you two go to different schools."

"She's crazy!" Freddie half-shouts, immediately shooting up off the couch and onto his feet to start pacing back and forth in front of Louis. "I would never do that, she's my best friend, she's like a sister to me!"

"I know that, Fred. Calm down."

"How could she think that? I'd never--" Freddie pauses, his chest heaving as he fights to catch his breath after working himself up into a frenzy so quickly. Louis stands up and pulls him into a tight hug, holding him close as he breathes in deeply.

"She'll come around, don't worry. It's an adjustment, y'know? It'll be alright."

"I should do something for her," Freddie suggests as he pulls himself out of Louis' arms. "Shouldn't I?"

"If you want to, Fred, sure. She'd probably appreciate it."

"I'll do something like you used to do for Uncle Liam!" Freddie goes on. "Like, bike riding, or… or surfing!"

Louis grimaces. "Have you been googling us again?"

Freddie hangs his head and avoids Louis' eyes. "No."

"Freddie."

"What? It's not _my_ fault you were in a famous boyband, Dad."

"That's not--" Louis groans. "It's _weird_ , Fred. You could just ask me about these sorts of things instead of turning to Google, y'know."

"You get weird about it, though." Freddie rubs his foot against the carpet in a distracted way, still avoiding Louis' eyes. "You can never just tell me a story, you have to think about it really hard first."

"Hey, I'm not the sprightly young man I used to be," Louis replies as he puts his hand on his heart as though he's actually offended, "sometimes it takes a bit for me to remember things."

"Whatever you say," Freddie mumbles, clearly unconvinced.

Louis' mouth twists into a frown but he doesn't say anything further. Sometimes he swears his kid is too observant for his own damn good.

"How about you come up with something that keeps you both a little closer to home?" Louis says, reaching his arm out to tug Freddie back towards him for a hug.

"Yeah, alright." Freddie sighs heavily. "I'll think of something."

Louis presses a kiss to the top of Freddie's head and then ruffles his hair. "I know you will."

*

The remainder of the week passes by without Louis noticing too closely, distracted by trying to balance his responsibilities with his fellow label executives with actually working with artists in the studio, but there's one thing he can't ignore no matter how hard he tries: Liam's still cross with him.

There's no second blowout or meltdown but rather Liam's retreated to being generally miserable every morning when he comes to pick up Freddie, and Ella's not much better. It's unclear who's really controlling the level of misery in the Payne household but Louis suspects that neither is particularly looking to better their situation. If Freddie hadn't come up with a plan to cheer Ella up by the end of the first night, Louis might've lost his mind by the end of the week.

It should be of no surprise that he's as invested in making Ella happy as Freddie is, because making Ella happy in turn will make Liam happy and therefore he won't be upset with Louis any longer, and yet it doesn't hit Louis until Friday morning that he's nearly as antsy for the end of the school day as Freddie. He counts down the minutes while keeping an eye on Liam's driveway to make sure he doesn't miss when he leaves, knowing there's only a short window of time to get Freddie's plan into action.

Louis isn't exactly playing it cool by watching Liam through the curtains but somehow he's still surprised when Liam catches him staring and gives him a strange look. Louis waves awkwardly and Liam returns it, but the confused look doesn't leave Liam's face until he's gotten into his car and has driven away.

"Fuck," Louis mutters to himself as he knocks his head against his window, "idiot."

He pulls his phone from his pocket to call the delivery person to let them know it's time, but he pauses when he sees a text from Liam sent only a minute before.

**_pls dont tp my house again louissssss its not haloween yet_ **

Louis full on snorts, clapping his hand over his mouth as he reads Liam's text over again before he decides what to reply.

**_i told u that wasnt me, it was freddie_ **

Louis' phone buzzes again while he's directing the delivery people to Liam's backyard where they'll set up the bouncy castle. It warmed Louis' heart to hear Freddie's plan, choosing to do something for Ella that they both used to love when they were younger. A whirlwind of memories come rushing back to Louis' mind as soon as the castle is fully inflated, but the one that stands out most clearly is Ella's birthday after she and Liam had moved in next door. Louis had finally convinced Liam to rent one after days and days of prodding, and Ella had loved it so much that the four of them had spent literal hours in that bouncy castle.

Louis doesn't check his phone until the delivery van is pulling out of the driveway but when he does a grin spreads widely across his face.

**_i kno tommo work wen i see it :p plus freddie was like 8 theres no way he culd reach the roof u liar_ **

Louis rolls his eyes and doesn't respond, choosing instead to send a picture of the bouncy castle to Freddie with the short message, **_we're all set_ **.

In reality the time it takes Liam to pick up Freddie and Ella isn't longer than it usually is on any other given day but to Louis on this particular day it feels like literal ages. He jumps at the sound of every car driving down their street as he anxiously waits for them to return, disappointed again and again until _finally_ he sees Liam's obnoxiously large SUV pull into his driveway.

Louis heads for his own backyard, keeping out of sight until he hears the other three make their way to the backyard next door. Ella screams with joy when she sees the bouncy castle and leaps into Freddie's arms for an enormous hug before the two of them race towards it while Liam hangs back with a dazzling smile on his face. It takes just a few seconds for Liam to glance over and catch Louis watching, but this time Louis ducks into the house instead of sticking around.

He's in the middle of making himself a cup of tea when Liam steps into the kitchen, closing the sliding glass door behind him before he walks over to Louis.

"So that's why you were watching me earlier, hmm?"

"Dunno what you're talking about," Louis says without looking at Liam. "I had nothing to do with it, it was all Freddie's idea."

"You're so full of shit," Liam replies with a laugh. The sound makes Louis smile even as he keeps avoiding looking at Liam, busying himself with fussing around with his tea.

"Glad Ella's happy again," Louis says as he clears his throat. "I know you were worried about her and Fred, but I told you they'd work it out."

"You Tomlinsons always find a way, don't you?" Liam moves closer to Louis and lightly nudges him with his elbow. "If Ella's not careful she might end up in the same boat as her old man."

"What're you talking about?" Louis scoffs. "You're not old, Liam, because if you're old then _I'm_ old and I am definitely not old."

"That's not what I meant, Lou."

"Then what _did_ you mean?" Louis asks as he turns to face Liam, half-expecting some smug answer as he lifts his mug of tea up to his lips. "What boat are you even talking about, you don't have one because--"

"What if Ella falls in love with Freddie?" Liam interrupts. "What then?"

Louis blinks. "I… well, if that happens… we'll figure something out." Louis narrows his eyes. "Wait, is this you saying my son's not good enough for your daughter?"

"No, Louis, I'm saying--"

"Because that's shit, Liam. Any girl would be lucky to have Fred--"

"Of course they would, that's not what I meant!"

"What did you mean, then?!"

"I'm in love with you!" Liam shouts.

Louis drops his mug.

"Jesus!" Liam immediately jumps back and out of the way to avoid getting splashed by Louis' tea as it spills when the mug smashes against the floor.

"Did you--" Louis whispers, but it's lost in the madness.

"Don't move, Lou!" Liam says, holding his arms out to stop Louis from taking a step towards him. "You'll cut yourself! Christ, this is why you should have slippers, I've told you a hundred times. Did the tea burn you?"

"Hang on," Louis says a little louder. "Liam. Liam!"

"What?!"

"You're in love with me?"

Liam drops his arms and lets out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, Lou."

"Since when?"

"C'mon, Lou, is this really the time--" Liam moves to try and clean up the tea but Louis grabs his arm.

"How long?" he demands.

"Forever! I dunno! Since…" Liam sighs again. "Since X-Factor, probably. Reckon everyone was in love with you then, but it never went away for me."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Louis asks, his voice dropping back down to a whisper as tears spring to his eyes.

"You had Eleanor and I had Dani and Soph, and then Freddie came along and I had Cheryl and you had Danielle, and…" Liam shrugs. "It was never the right time."

"You should've told me."

"Why? So you'd look at me like you're looking at me now?" Liam shakes his head. "It wasn't all bad, Lou, I was happy too. I wouldn't want to change anything because then you wouldn't have Freddie and I wouldn't have Ella, and--"

Louis kisses him. He steps forward, mindful of the shards of his mug but not particularly careful enough to avoid stepping in the puddle of tea, and grabs Liam by his shirt as he presses their mouths together. Liam's taken aback for a split second before he wraps his arms around Louis and kisses him back, clinging to him harder than he ever has before.

"You're such an idiot," Louis breathes out, pressing his forehead against Liam's. "I've loved you for ages, I wish you'd told me years ago."

"Why didn't you tell _me_?" Liam pinches Louis' bum. "I moved next door to you, Lou. My mum had a fit about it."

"Your mum knows?" Louis asks with a wince. "No wonder she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you." Liam chuckles. "I love you too much for her to hate you."

"My mum doesn't hate you one bit. She wants you to come for Christmas."

"Do you want me to come for Christmas?"

Louis kisses him again and moans softly. "I'd like you to come before then, if I'm honest."

"Louis," Liam chastises, but it's lost in a moan as Louis slips his hand between them and gropes Liam through his jeans.

"Got a lot of catching up to do," Louis whispers.

Just as Louis is about to kiss Liam again, the glass door slides open and Freddie's voice rings out loud and clear.

"Oh, gross!"

"What's going on?" Ella asks as Louis and Liam pull away from each other, but Louis grabs Liam's hand so he can't get too far.

"Louis and I…" Liam starts, looking at Louis for help.

"We're, um…" Louis' mind goes blank. "You see…"

Freddie and Ella look at each other and immediately start laughing.

"Told you," Freddie mumbles.

"Hey!" Louis snaps.

"Told her what?" Liam asks.

"That you and Uncle Lou were crazy about each other." Ella rolls her eyes. "Like everyone in the world didn't know that already."

"That's not--" Louis starts.

"Please, Dad. I've known since Uncle Liam and Ella moved next door. You're not exactly subtle."

"I resent that," Louis mutters. "You've got quite the mouth on you, kid."

"Can't imagine where he gets that from," Liam mumbles. Louis pinches him.

"I'll show you--"

Ella and Freddie start groaning and pleading with them to stop immediately or they'll both vomit everywhere. Louis pinches Liam again, this time on his bum, but otherwise keeps his mouth shut.

"Can we get pizza?" Ella asks.

"And breadsticks," Freddie adds.

"Yeah, alright." Louis sighs. "Get my laptop, Fred, and we'll order it now."

"Yes!" Freddie cheers as he takes off into the other room.

"How was the bouncy castle?" Liam asks, stepping away from Louis to pull Ella into a hug.

"Super fun." Ella beams.

"Not worried about losing Freddie anymore?" Louis asks.

"Nah," Ella shakes her head as she smiles, "I think we'll be okay." Louis and Liam share a look, which makes Ella suspicious. "What?"

"Nothing," they say together.

Ella huffs.

"Whatever happens, we'll support you," Liam says. Ella stares at him for a long moment and when it clicks in her head she quickly steps away and groans loudly in disgust.

"You think I like Freddie!!"

"I--"

"What?" Freddie asks, pausing in the doorway with Louis' laptop in hand.

"Just because you're in love with Uncle Louis does _not_ mean I'm in love with Freddie!" Ella shouts.

"Ooh, this is awkward," Freddie murmurs.

"Fred," Louis hisses, "not helping."

"I didn't say that, love," Liam tries, "I just meant--"

"I don't like Freddie like that," Ella goes on, "that's so gross, he's like my brother!"

"That'd be incest," Freddie remarks, earning another glare from Louis.

"Besides, I already have a boyfriend!"

"What?!" Liam, Louis, and Freddie all shout at once. Ella rolls her eyes and crosses her arms.

"His name is George, he's new to my school, and he's very nice. That's all I'm telling you because you're all _crazy_!"

Ella whips around and stomps out of the house. Freddie tucks the laptop under his arm and dashes out after her without saying another word to Louis or Liam.

Louis watches Liam carefully for about a minute before he takes a step towards him and pats his shoulder consolingly. Liam deflates immediately and turns to crush Louis in a hug, burying his face against Louis' neck.

"I can't handle Ella dating just yet," he mumbles pitifully.

Louis laughs, squeezing Liam tightly as he pets his hair and kisses his neck.

"We'll get through it."

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://imlouisaf.tumblr.com)


End file.
